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Network Topology and Tie Strength in Online Communities of Practice

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Book cover Complex Networks and Their Applications VII (COMPLEX NETWORKS 2018)

Part of the book series: Studies in Computational Intelligence ((SCI,volume 813))

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Abstract

Due to the heterogeneities in the nature of complex networks, it is possible that the relationship between tie strength and network topology does not follow a universal rule. Since networks are shaped by different mechanisms, the correlation of the network topology and tie strengths can either constrain or facilitate the information flow in the networks, and the global role of strong and weak ties can differ from network to network. The theory of strength of weak ties and the global efficiency principle offer two alternative lenses in explaining tie strength and network topology. We aim at investigating these two contrasting theories by exploring the relationship between tie strength and net-work topology in online communities of practice. Our research context is the online community platform created by SAP, the largest enterprise software vendor. We use two-way fixed-effects panel data models to examine the relationship between tie strength and network topology, and the results provide support for the strength of weak ties theory.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Business Administration, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Ecem Basak & Ali Tafti

  2. Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

    Peng Huang

Authors
  1. Ecem Basak
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  2. Ali Tafti
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  3. Peng Huang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ecem Basak .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Nokia Bell Labs, Cambridge, UK

    Luca Maria Aiello

  2. IUT Lumière, University of Lyon, Bron Cedex, France

    Chantal Cherifi

  3. LE2I UMR CNRS 6306 9, University of Burgundy, Dijon Cedex, France

    Hocine Cherifi

  4. Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Renaud Lambiotte

  5. Department of Computer Science and Technology, The Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Pietro Lió

  6. Center for Complex Networks and Systems Research, School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

    Luis M. Rocha

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Basak, E., Tafti, A., Huang, P. (2019). Network Topology and Tie Strength in Online Communities of Practice. In: Aiello, L., Cherifi, C., Cherifi, H., Lambiotte, R., Lió, P., Rocha, L. (eds) Complex Networks and Their Applications VII. COMPLEX NETWORKS 2018. Studies in Computational Intelligence, vol 813. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05414-4_30

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